1. Field of the Embodiments of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to signal processing and, more specifically, to an earplug for selectively providing sound to a user.
2. Description of the Related Art
Sleep plays an important role in maintaining healthy brain function, physical health, and overall well-being. As a result, people commonly go to great lengths to improve the quality of their sleep, such as by taking medications and supplements, undergoing sleep studies, and carefully controlling the environment in which they sleep. Even so, many people continue to suffer from sleep disruptions.
One common sleep disruption is caused by auditory distractions in the surrounding environment that prevent a person from falling asleep or wake the person from sleep. Such distractions may include, for example, talking, snoring, music playing, vehicles, and other noises in the surrounding environment. In an attempt to prevent such distractions from disrupting sleep, many people have turned to devices such as “white” noise machines, which attempt to mask potentially disruptive noises with a continuous hissing sound. While some find the sound generated by white noise machines soothing, others find it distracting. However, in either case, the sound generated by white noise machines typically is not loud enough to mask sounds that are very loud and/or very close to the user, such as the snoring of the user's partner.
Another common technique for attempting to prevent auditory distractions from disrupting sleep is the use of earplugs. Earplugs are inserted into the user's ear canals and, to varying degrees, block sounds in the surrounding environment. As such, earplugs are generally effective at preventing auditory distractions from disrupting the user's sleep. However, because earplugs block all sounds in the surrounding environment, the user is unable to hear useful and/or important sounds, such as an alarm clock, a baby crying, a fire alarm, and the like. Consequently, due to the risks associated with missing these types of sounds in the surrounding environment, the use of earplugs is impractical for many people.
As the foregoing illustrates, techniques that enable a user to more effectively prevent auditory distractions in the surrounding environment from disrupting the user's sleep would be useful.